In an exclusive interview with Auto Express, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has provided new insights into the £4.5bn (up to $5.8billion) joint venture between the American start-up and the Volkswagen Group that will help shape the German giant’s next-generation EVs.
The two companies announced their partnership in 2024, forming Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies (RV Tech). The venture is working to produce best-in-class technologies for future electric cars, utilising Rivian’s industry-leading software and electrical hardware and the VW Group’s massive global scale.
More specifically, using its existing technology as a basis, Rivian is working with the VW Group to develop a flexible and streamlined, state-of-the-art zonal electrical architecture, plus new software. These will be deployed primarily on the group’s latest platform, SSP, which numerous brands including Skoda, Cupra, Audi, Porsche and, of course, Volkswagen, are set to use.
This new, more consolidated electronic architecture will use fewer control units and less wiring, meaning reduced weight, cost and complexity in new cars. The new tech should make them better at receiving over-the-air updates, which can add more features and value to cars as they mature.
BMW has gone down a very similar route with its all-new Neue Klasse generation of EVs. Instead of hundreds of traditional electronic control units, the new BMW iX3 features just four central computers, referred to as ‘superbrains’, with its ‘Heart of Joy’ one responsible for every aspect of the driving experience.
